The Springboks and the All Blacks will do battle for the Freedom Cup when they meet in a Vodacom Tri-Nations fixture at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on August 14. The Freedom Cup has been introduced to mark celebrations of South Africa’s 10 years of democracy and will be contested every second year between the two countries.
New coach Jake White has put the heat on his forwards to provide the Springboks with the winning edge against Australia in Saturday’s Tri-Nations rugby Test in Perth. White hasn’t held back in pre-match verbal joustings with Australia’s master of mind games Eddie Jones and expects his big Bok pack to ride roughshod over the Wallabies.
South African opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs will miss the first Test against Sri Lanka next week because of an ankle injury, a team spokesperson said on Thursday. Gibbs, who sprained his ankle during a training session in Pretoria, is expected to be fit for the second Test starting in Colombo on August 13.
Celtic Glasgow’s first win was Manchester United’s first loss on American soil as Craig Beattie’s goal in the 71st minute gave the Scots a 2-1 decision over the Red Devils on Wednesday. Scheduled to play a tour-high four matches, Celtic were playing for the third time in five days during the Champions World tour.
Springbok defectors Clyde Rathbone and Dan Vickerman can expect plenty of stick from their former countrymen in Saturday’s Tri-Nations rugby Test, Wallaby coach Eddie Jones said on Thursday. Winger Rathbone and reserve lock Vickerman have thrown their lot in with Australian rugby after formative years in South Africa.
Bok coach turns up the heat
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South African Tourism hopes to attract visitors by offering them real human contact experience. Presenting a new strategy for tourism on Wednesday in Kyalami north of Johannesburg, strategic relations manager Chantal Cuddumbey said the new approach demonstrates experiences that South Africa has to offer.
About 300 000 civilians have fled their homes in the area of Kalehe in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where a rebel general is holding out against government troops, relief workers have reported in Kinshasa. Clashes have occurred around Kalehe, about 60km from the key town of Bukavu.
The recent brutal murder of a university student and the shooting of a soccer coach by a referee have rekindled the long-running debate about gun control in South Africa. Gun-related violence claims about 10Â 000 people in South Africa each year, according to the campaign group Gun-Free South Africa.
Namibian church leaders called on the country’s government on Wednesday to be cautious as it moves toward the first expropriations under its land reform programme. A 14-strong delegation from the Council of Churches in Namibia made the appeal after meeting with Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab.